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Taste.com.au - August 2012
Eat in, eat out, eat well. Look for the taste liftout on Tuesdays in the Herald Sun, Courier Mail and Daily Telegraph, on Wednesdays in the Adelaide Advertiser, and in Perth’s Sunday Times.

I have recently acquired one of those whiz-bang slicers, so loaded up with a heap of vegetables, I tried out the razor-sharp blade on a few victims.

Onions? No problem, thick or thin and fewer tears. Tomatoes? Excellent job for even wafer-thin slices for Friday pizza. Hmmm, what else. I had just picked up some baby brussels sprouts.

Using the safety guard and sticking a few sprouts on the steel spikes to secure them, I was able to achieve gorgeous little, sweet-smelling rounds. They held up extremely well, and as they were raw, did not have that overpowering smell of cooked sprouts or cabbage.

If cooking sprouts, whether steaming, blanching, pan or stir-frying, braising, grilling or roasting, the key is to not overcook them as they lose flavour, colour and nutrients.

In season now, they can add colour, texture and shape to mains, sides, appetisers, finger foods and dips.

Look for tightly packed leaves for the best flavour and keep in the crisper.